Resale as sustainable social innovation: understanding shifts in consumer decision-making and shopping orientations for high-end secondhand clothing

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to draw from sustainable social innovation theory and the Consumer styles inventory (CSI) instrument to examine secondhand clothing consumption habits for Russia. The secondhand market is the logical outcome of efforts to adopt resale as a facet of sustainable social innovation, with which to drive sustainable decision-making and socially responsible marketing in the secondhand high-end clothing market. Resale represents the cornerstone of business model innovation (BMi) for the retail sector, offering substantial opportunities for retailers who understand changes in consumption behaviour. More cost-effective and arguably greener, the sale of secondhand clothing is expected to be double the volume of fast fashion by 2030 but it remains an understudied field of research in the literature relating to the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses are developed from the existing literature. Survey methodology is used to collect data from 250 Russian consumers in the city of Petersburg. The objective is to test the veracity of CSI shopper orientations, focusing on nascent motivations for high-end branded secondhand clothing, to examine sustainable social innovation and resale in an emerging market. Findings Four new shopping orientations are identified. Based on the empirical data, the authors suggest that five (out of the original eight CSI shopping orientations) are of internal statistical relevance, and that our new orientations are relevant for not only this market, but for neighbouring Eastern European countries too. The findings reflect postmodern evolution in behavioural motivations for Russian consumers, that can inform retail strategy in terms of BMi consumer for harnessing opportunities offered by sustainable social innovation and resale. Originality/value Whilst the CSI has been widely used, research for Eastern Europe is limited. Understanding the shopping orientations for sustainable alternatives to newly produced clothing has theoretical and practical implications for improving circularity, post-war entry strategies and countries facing economic downturn. This study contributes novel insights by examining consumer decision-making and shopping orientations in an emerging market.

Uncaptured Value in the Business Model: Analysing its Modes in Social Enterprises in the Sustainable Fashion Industry

“…This implies that various phases of the business maturation with economic and socio-environmental challenges could differ from those established in the enterprise's early stage. Based on such findings, this study contributes to the BM literature by evidencing how dynamic and innovative an BM (Lichy et al, 2023) must be to balance economic issues with social and environmental ones. The entrepreneurs' characteristics directly influence the decisions in zones with high economic uncaptured value modes or high socio-environmental uncaptured value modes.…”

“…In addition, a BM is dynamic and needs constant innovation to respond to changes in the surrounding business environment. The growing awareness of the negative impact of the cloting industry on the environment and human life should encourage producers and retailers to innovate their BM (Lichy et al, 2023). Such dynamism introduces challenges to the textile industry and retailers.…”